The Heavenly Warriors
by lilith dancer
Summary: When Jacob starts ignoring her, Bella falls back into a deep depression. Charlie invites Bella's estranged cousin, Camilla and her three "foster" sisters to look after her. But after a while, Bella suspects their visit isn't just for her; they're odd. The way they move, the way they look and their attraction to the woods is unsettling. [wolf pack is v involved]
1. Prologue: Nihmu

**Prologue**

Deep in the forests of Scythia where villages were scattered, the population was beginning to dwindle. When the night came, so did the creatures of the dark. Bodies were slain and drained of their blood some nights but other nights, their bodies were torn apart by the jaws of an animal so fearsome, the thought of them would shake a human to its core.

The children of the moon took as they pleased. As did the other night demons.

It went on until only a handful of women remained. Amongst these women was Nihmu, her husband and two sons had been killed and only she and her daughter remained. A demon came to her one day, having spied her daughter, and attempted to negotiate - if she allowed her daughter to leave with him, he'd leave their village be. He gave her a single moon cycle to decide before he returned with his coven. If Nihmu refused him, they would lay waste on her entire village.

She had no intentions of giving her daughter so fearlessly, she gathered the remaining women of her village and she fashioned weapons from the sacred mountains of Assegate. Nihmu and the other women prepared and when the demon returned, she was ready.

The Gods looked down in favour at their courage and blessed them with Ares' bloodthirst, Artemis' strength and Athena's wisdom.

They fought boldly and many died - including the demons. When the battle was over, only Nihmu and six other women survived; her daughter did not. Heartbroken but emboldened, she stood on the mountain of Assegate that day and made a promise to the Gods. Her daughters would serve the Gods to rid the world of the creatures that came from the darkness.

Wanting to protect all those who were victims of the beast who ravaged their homes, Nihmu declared that they would spread out across all the lands and pass their abilities through their bloodline. The women of Scythia agreed and set forth, ready to raise daughters who would stand tall like Nihmu did. Daughters who would swear to protect all. Daughters who fought boldly and courageously like their ancestors.

The heavenly warriors, descendants of the sun.

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 **note: my first fic lol so don't expect much; inspired by the fact that if children of the moon (which I suspect are /real/ werewolves), vampires and shapeshifters all exist then why not some badass amazon-inspired women? and bc bella didn't really need jacob to heal her. and just yay for female characters (although there'll be a LOT of wolf pack too)**


	2. Chapter 1: The Arrival

**Disclaimer: i don't own anything except oc's + plot. and i'm not american so "weird" spelling up ahead**

* * *

 **Chapter one**

CAMILLA Alvarez stood under the pale moonlight with a frown on her face. She and her three tribal sisters were in a clearing in the centre of the forest, barefooted and basking in the light of the moon. Her fingers were wrapped around the end of her golden spear and she tossed it from hand to hand, testing its weight.

"When do we leave?" Delilah, the youngest of the four, was the first one to break the silence as she called out over the breeze. She was perched on a branch, fingering her own set of weapons.

"Ten days," Camilla replied, her blood was singing at the thought of finding the bloodsuckers.

"I still don't know why we have to go all the way down to Washington of all places," Mina, the second youngest of the group, grumbled as she trudged to a nearby tree and rested her back against its trunk. "There's nothing fun to do there."

"We're not going to have _fun_ ," Imani, the second eldest sister, replied sharply from her spot beside Camilla. "We're going to find the vampires that killed Sebastian."

"James' coven was last seen in Forks before he went off the map. If we want answers, we'll go there," Camilla explained as she sharpened the end of her spear. "Victoria has been lurking around there too. It's where Renee's daughter lives. We'll be staying with her for a while."

"Isabella Swan?" Mina had overhead Christine speaking over the phone with her cousin.

"That's the one," Camilla sighed and hoped that she had made the right decision in agreeing to stay with her distant cousin.

"Are you sure we can even trust her?" Imani raised an eyebrow, referring to Bella's previous choice in company.

"She's no longer with him," Camilla responded sharply. Imani was always the first one to question Camilla's decisions so the older girl wasn't all that surprised to hear the doubt that coloured her tone.

"How long were they together for?" Imani pressed on, feeling reluctant about having to share a home with a girl who had been in such close contact with one of _them._

"I don't know the specifics although I assume it was a significant amount of time," Camilla replied with a shrug. She wasn't very interested in her cousin's love life. All she knew was that there was a coven in Forks and one of them had been romantically involved with Bella Swan for a period of time.

"Do you know why he left?" Mina called out, her interest piqued at the idea of a human and a vampire together. Perhaps Bella had discovered the fact that her lover was actually a monster and had attempted to kill him - if that was the case then Mina was sure she'd be able to get along with Bella.

"I'm under the impression that he left on his own accord," Camilla shook her head and glanced over her shoulder to look at Mina.

"And he just left without turning her?" Imani's skepticism was palpable as she drew her hair up to tie into a tight bun. "Why would he be with a human then just leave like that? I thought vampire bonds were eternal."

"Maybe she was really ugly," Mina sniggered as she wondered what Bella looked like. She made a mental note to see if there was anything especially funny about Bella's appearance when they met.

"Whatever his reasoning was for leaving, it doesn't matter," Camilla rolled her eyes at Mina's comment and took over the discussion again. "He and his coven are gone now and our main priority is to get rid of James and his coven. Bella's father has invited us to keep her company - apparently, she didn't take their break up very well."

"Was she aware of her … boyfriend's true nature?" Delilah's question was laced with genuine curiosity and she shuddered to think about willingly being with a demon.

"I believe so," Camilla nodded once, her expression souring slightly at the thought. Obviously her cousin had suffered from a lapse of sanity or something; that was the only explanation as to why she'd continue such a relationship.

"Pathetic," Imani wrinkled her nose unsympathetically. To be beside herself over the loss of a boyfriend was one thing but to be like that over a _vampire,_ was plain pathetic in Imani's opinion.

"It doesn't matter. She's no longer with him and even if she is, that isn't our priority." Camilla's authoritative tone carried through the wind as she planted the blunt end of her spear into the ground. "We're there to kill James, Victoria and the third vampire in that coven."

"What if your cousin has some sort of … connection with James' coven?" Delilah, ever the curious one, spoke up again. She found it odd that a human could hold the affection of a vampire without dying. "Forks is a small town and it's already pretty coincidental that she was involved with that other coven. Who's to say she's not connected to James as well?"

"She's not. She can't be. If James ever had any connection with a human, he'd either turn them or drain them dry. Seeing as she's still human and still breathing, she's got no relation with him." Camilla announced confidently. She twisted her weapon in her hands and the side of mouth quirked up when she saw how much sharper the point of her spear had gone.

"Will we need to tell her about what we really are?" Delilah asked as she swung one leg over the tree branch and jumped, landing lightly on her feet.

"No. She doesn't need to know," Camilla shook her head. There was no need. "We'll go to Washington and stay with her while we track down the coven. There'll be no need to reveal ourselves."

When there were no protests, she added one last thing.

"And when when we stay with her… be civil."

Her last demand was more aimed towards Mina and Imani rather than Delilah. She knew that that the youngest would be her usual friendly self but she was slightly worried about the other two. Mina enjoyed playing around too much and Imani hadn't even met Bella yet and yet she had no respect for her at all. She didn't particularly take well to those who fell into company with vampires.

Although Camilla couldn't really blame her; she felt the same way.

xxx

The night everything _truly_ changed, Bella and her father were eating dinner. Sort of. Bella was staring down at her plate with no interest while her father continued to sneak glances at her. Even when she tried to catch his eyes, he'd quickly avert his gaze and continue to chew on his steak.

"Dad… is there something wrong?" Unable to take anymore of his furtive looks, she placed her (unused) fork on the table before her and gave him a pointed look.

Charlie looked like he was going to deny that there was even an issue but quickly realised his attempts would be futile. The truth would come out sooner or later.

"Bella… I - uh - I have to go out of town for a few weeks for work," he finally told her, still a ksijf her eye.

"...Okay," she shrugged, a little confused as to why he was so reluctant to tell her.

"I don't want you to be alone while I'm gone," he continued carefully. Immediately, Bella understood the hesitance in his tone. "So, I've asked-"

"No - no, I'm fine -" Before he could even begin to propose his plan, Bella had jumped, fearing what he was about to suggest.

"I don't think it'll be … safe for you to be alone -" He tried to continue but Bella was quick to protest again.

"I can ask Angela or Jessica to sleep over sometime..." she lied automatically. A few weeks to herself would be nice - she wasn't sure how much longer she could handle her father's constant concerned looks. It was driving her insane.

"I - well, your mother and I - have invited your cousin -" he plowed on, knowing that the chances of her actually asking Jess or Angela was low.

"I can stay here by myself," Bella started hotly, her skin feeling tight at the thought of staying with someone else.

"Bella -"

"I'm eighteen, not six," she fought the urge to stomp her foot which would only contradict her words.

"Bella, we -"

"I'm not a child!" She didn't mean to raise her voice but she didn't understand how Charlie could expect her to accept his decision. Charlie flinched at her sudden change in pitch and she quickly backtracked. "Sorry… I just… don't think you need to coddle me."

"Bells… I can't trust to leave you here alone, I'm scared and now that…" He trailed off but she knew what he wanted to say. Now that Jacob had left her too - she had no one. A deep pang in her chest almost made her gasp but she reined in her pain and tried to nod carefully. "Just hear me out."

"Okay… I'm listening," she took a calming breath and managed to look at him.

"Remember your aunt Christine?" Charlie asked as he rubbed his cheek carefully. "Renee's older cousin?"

She nodded slowly as fuzzy images of a young raven haired woman came to mind. She had seen lots of pictures in her mother's photo album but she couldn't match an actual memory to the name. She wracked her brain and tried to remember any detail about the familiar name.

"Doesn't she live in Chile with her husband… Sebastian?" Bella didn't look up from her plate as she focused on the mashed potato that had now gone cold.

"Sebastian died about ten years ago, you went to his funeral," Charlie reminded her and she felt a rush of guilt. It was like every memory that wasn't about _him_ had escaped her mind. "After Sebastian died, they moved up to Alaska."

"They?" Bella's eyebrows furrowed again as she tried to remember Christine's family.

"She has a daughter around your age as well," Charlie was speaking to her as if she had amnesia and Bella almost felt like she did - everything before _him_ seemed to have escaped her memory.

After a few moments - a name echoed in her mind.

"Camilla," Bella vaguely remembered her cousin. The girl was a year older than Bella but they didn't really speak for numerous reasons. The first being that they had met at Camilla's father's funeral and the second being the fact that Camilla only spoke Spanish and very limited English. "She's a year older than me, right?"

"They were planning a trip down here for fun anyway so it's convenient for them." That didn't sound true at all - who in the world would willingly come to Forks for fun? It sounded like something her mother had cooked up.

Speaking of her mother.

"Why doesn't mum come down?" She wondered aloud; she was surprised her mother hadn't jumped at the opportunity to come down to Forks to whisk her away.

"I didn't think you'd want to be with Renee," her father admitted. "She can be a little…"

Bella didn't protest that idea. Her mother would only fuss and want to talk about _them_ and demand answers. And Bella would very much rather spend time with her distant cousin than have to deal with that.

"It's just for two weeks," Charlie added quickly, glad to see that Bella was at least happier with that idea than her mother's alternative. "The girls actually seemed really excited at the idea of coming here,"

"Girls?" She didn't remember Christine having anymore daughters.

"Christine has foster care kids - three girls," Charlie continued, looking a little comforted when Bella wasn't outright refusing anymore. "It'll only be for a while. And I think it'll be good for you. New scene, new people."

"I don't know…" Bella nibbled on her bottom lip, already dreading the idea of trying to pretend she was perfectly fine in front of strangers.

"I just want you to try it out, if you really can't handle it, I'll come back," he was pleading now and a feeling of guilt began to bubble inside her. She stupidly took a chance to look up and met his eyes.

"Please try this for me," he asked softly and she felt her resolve crumble.

After a few moments of silence, she heaved a deep sigh and finally conceded.

"... I'll clean up the spare room, I guess."

xxx

Bella was nervous. Her cousin and her three foster sisters were arriving any moment from the airport and she was suddenly overcome with a sense of dread. She ran through their names again for the nth time - Camilla, Imani, Delilah and Mina - and crossed her fingers that she wouldn't forget them or pronounce them incorrectly.

At the sound of a car pulling up in front of her house, she shot up from the lounge and peeked through her blinds to see a taxi stop at the end of her driveway. She felt her anxiousness increase tenfold and she slowly made her way outside so she could greet them.

The taxi pulled up and the she instantly recognised Camilla the moment she stepped out of the car. She had a large purple suitcase and pulled it out with a grace that Bella found herself slightly envious of. There was another girl that slipped out of the car too but she had walked to other side of the car to get her things, before Bella could catch a proper glimpse of her.

Camilla, already ready, moved towards the front door where Bella was standing, frozen on the spot.

She didn't look anything like Bella remembered. When she had last seen Camilla, the older girl had been withdrawn and reserved - although that could have a lot to do with the fact that she didn't understand a thing Bella had said to her and vice versa. She looked nothing like Christine and took after father; large dark brown eyes, full lips and brown hair. She was prettier than Bella remembered; her wavy hair reached her elbows and she stood much taller than Bella imagined - she was probably 5'8 or so.

"Um…" Bella paused in front of her and chewed on her lower lip, unsure of what to say. What could she say?

' _Hi, I'm your eighteen year old cousin that can't be trusted to look after myself because my vampire ex boyfriend left me with and took everything good with him and I don't know how to fucking function without him'._

Luckily for her, her cousin had no qualms with taking control of the conversation and she took a confident step towards her.

"You must be Isabella, I'm Camilla," she stepped forward and offered a hand. She had the slightest accent when she said Bella's name but other than that, there were no remnants of the young girl who only spoke Spanish.

"It's just Bella," she muttered and before she could stop herself, she grasped the ends of her hair and tugged on them nervously. "It's um, nice to meet you..again."

Her words were robotic in a way and she inwardly cringed as they left her mouth. She sounded as if she'd rather be dead in a ditch than standing here.

"Thank you for having us," Fortunately, Camilla didn't seem to mind her less than stellar greeting and merely reached for her suitcase and pulled it onto the doorstep. "Is Charlie here?"

"He left last night but he wanted me to thank you for coming all the way down here," Bella shuffled backwards and made some room for her to enter. "Come inside. Um, does your uh, sister need any help?

"Mina's fine," Camilla waved off her concerns and glanced backwards to where her sister was still pulling out her numerous bags. "I told her not to pack so much. Mina, hurry up!"

'Mina' turned out to be an extremely pretty Asian girl. She had her own large suitcase along with several other smaller bags which she pulled out the trunk of the taxi swiftly. Her hair was dyed a striking blonde colour and her lips were painted red; she looked like the kind of girl who you would never think about taking home to meet your parents.

Despite all the luggage, she didn't seem to struggle with carrying them.

"Hey Bella," her tone was casual when she called out the cool greeting and there was an amused twinkle in her eyes that Bella feel as if she was being teased. "Nice to finally meet you. I'm Mina Kwon."

Bella waved back but didn't say anything. Mina bid their taxi driver farewell before she dragged her suitcases up the driveway towards where Bella and Camilla were standing. When she reached them, she gave Bella a quick once over and smothered a snort.

Bella felt a surge of outrage and confusion at Mina's odd reaction to her. She knew she wasn't looking her best - her weight loss was even more apparent with her choice of clothing, her hair had long lost its shine and her pale skin had become sallow - but still, she didn't think it warranted such a rude reaction. Especially from someone she had just met.

"Um… okay," she couldn't help but raised an offended eyebrow at Mina who merely bit on her lower lip, as if trying to keep herself from laughing.

"Excuse Mina, she's jet lagged," Camilla offered Bella an apologetic smile that didn't quite meet her eyes before she threw a look over her shoulder at her sister. Bella bit her lip to stop herself from pointing out that one trip from Alaska to Washington wasn't a worthy enough trip to claim 'jet lag' over. "Where should we put our stuff?"

Bella welcomed the change of subject and moved further into her house.

"The rooms are up here," she gestured up the stairs and began to walk up the steps. It wasn't until she was on the third step that she realised that her cousin probably needed some help.

"I can take the bottom half and-" she started but Camilla either worked out a lot or Bella had overestimated the weight of her luggage because she picked the suitcase up with relative ease and walked up the stairs as if not carrying anything at all.

Camilla waved her off and gestured for her to keep walking. Mina was having an equally easy time with her own luggage.

"Er, okay, I'll lead the way," Bella continued upwards and down the hallway until she reached the spare bedroom which had two beds.

"I was expecting your sisters to uh be a lot younger so I thought you could fit here but I guess not," she admitted as she opened the door. "Um, Mina, how old are you anyways?"

"I'm eighteen and so is Imani. Delilah's seventeen." Bella looked at the girl oddly. If they were eighteen, why were they still in the foster care system?

"She's turning eighteen soon -" Camilla, again, cut in when she saw the curious expression on Bella's face. "My sisters - my foster sisters - are all around your age. My mother, um, grew close to them and we…"

Camilla didn't finish her sentence but Bella nodded nonetheless. Her father had informed her that Christine had decided to take in foster children after her husband had died so Bella just shrugged it off. She was the last person who could comment on how to handle grief.

"Two can fit in here and um, while Charlie's gone, someone can take his room." Bella prattled off, not wanting to think about any of that. "And um, I can take the couch while someone takes my room."

"We don't want to run you out of your own room," Camila shook her head politely. "I'm sure Delilah won't mind bunking with you."

"Oh no… I'm a loud snorer," she lied quickly, feeling her cheeks flame at the thought of them hearing her scream in her sleep while she slept. "I'll sleep downstairs."

"I don't mind bunking with you," Mina looked at her with a smile, eyes twinkling with amusement. "We can share a bed - I heard it gets really cold."

Bella was saved the embarrassment of replying when Camilla nudged Mina in the side with an annoyed glare.

"Delilah and Imani are here," Mina ignored Camilla's elbow and grinned. "I'll bring 'em up."

Bella glanced out the window and saw that another taxi had just pulled up. She briefly wondered how could've seen it since she was standing with her back facing the window but before she could ask, Mina had raced out the room, to get her sisters.

"I'm sorry about her," Camilla apologized again as soon as Mina left the room. "She likes to tease."

"It's cool," she shrugged the apology off and played with the hem of her shirt. She wished that Charlie was still here so the awkwardness would be a little less intense.

"Finally!" Bella felt the nervousness in her stomach intensify as she heard Mina open the door and two unfamiliar voices joined her. She knew that she'd be meeting a lot of new people but she forgot how nerve wracking it was.

She heard three pairs of feet climb up the steps and before she had the time to prepare herself, they were at the bedroom door.

The first girl to enter the room stepped in quietly, a stack of books in her arms, and a large bag strapped across her shoulder. She had russet skin that instantly made Bella think of Jacob and her inky black hair was similar to Jake's as well. But when Bella looked closer, the similarities stopped there. At first glance, she was almost plain but the closer Bella looked, the prettier she became. Her light eyes seemed to shine and her soft features were warm and kind. Her eyes were warm and Bella was vividly reminded of Jake's warm gazes.

Thinking about Jake made Bella's chest ache and with much difficulty, she tore her eyes away and allowed her eyes to drop to the ground.

"Isabella, this is Delilah Brant," Camilla told her as she helped her younger sister take her bag off.

"You can just call me Bella," she mumbled as she spared a hesitant glance up at Delilah.

"Okay, well you can call me Dee if you want," she replied with a smile that made Bella feel a little better. Before they could make any further conversation, they were joined by the last sister.

The new girl that walked in - Imani - was breathtakingly beautiful and made Bella wonder if being attractive was a requirement if you wanted to be fostered by Christine. Imani stood tall at 5'10 and the room seemed to glow as soon as soon as she entered. If Rosalie was as beautiful as the moon with her paleness and etherealness then Imani was like the sun. Her copper skin seemed to emit a glow and her hazel eyes shone under dark lashes; her long mane of her swayed at her hips.

"This is Imani Carter," Camilla introduced the tall girl with a lazy hand. "Mani, this is Isabell - uh, Bella Swan."

"It's nice to finally see you in person," Imani cocked her head to the side and shot her a dazzling smile. Bella blinked, a little taken aback by her beauty and for a split second, she wondered if Imani was a vampire. But her eyes lacked the golden colour.

Bella wasn't sure if she was glad or not.

"In person?" Bella echoed - she felt like they knew so much about her but she knew nothing.

"I've only seen photos from when you were young," Imani elaborated when she saw Bella's questioning gaze. "You definitely grew into your forehead."

"Don't worry about Imani, she's tired from the flight." For the second time in the last fifteen minutes, Camilla was quick to excuse the behaviour of her sisters' actions.

"Right… um… well…" Again, she was unsure of how to react and just trailed off awkwardly. They were all staring at her, as if waiting for her to say something but she didn't know what.

"I should probably show you around town," she finally muttered after what felt like a long silence.

"Any suggestions?" Mina raised an eyebrow and glanced out the window, an unimpressed expression marring her pretty face.

"Uh, there's a mall in Port Angeles if you, um…" Bella suddenly felt very embarrassed. She didn't really know any of the 'cool' places in town and was thinking about texting Jess to ask her but she was interrupted before she made a decision.

"Oh, we're not very interested in shopping," Mina laughed lightly and shared an amused smile with Imani. Bella felt like she was missing an inside joke.

"We enjoy the outdoors," Camilla smiled softly and glanced out the window, her eyes dancing. "Maybe we could go for a hike in the woods, sometime?"

At the mention of the woods, Bella couldn't help but flinch. If the girls noticed her strong reaction to it, they didn't point it out and merely waited for a response.

"... um, if you're into that," Bella agreed hesitantly. "I can show you where the trails are and stuff."

"Thanks, Bella." Camilla smiled widely, this time showing her teeth.

There was something in her tone that made Bella's stomach churn but she squashed that feeling down and forced a smile. She was going to be living with these girls for a few weeks and she wanted their trip to run smoothly - at least for dad's sake.

Plus, maybe her father was right. New faces could help - she needed a break from all the drama in her life so maybe her cousins could be the one to give her the break she needed.

* * *

 **a/n: bella sorta seems like a pushover but i mean, she's going through a tough time but hopefully the girls will bring out her fire. I hope everyone likes my oc's so far! and i'm excited to get this fic rolling! (and the wolf pack will make an appearance soon!)**

 **also this is who i imagine as the sisters but you're free to picture them as you please; delilah (devery jacobs), mina (kim chungha), camilla (adelaide kane w/long hair) and imani (zendaya).**


	3. Chapter 2: Knocking at Heaven's Gate

AFTER only one week with them, Bella had a feeling that her cousins didn't particularly _like_ her.

They were nice to her - except for maybe Imani - but there was something about the way they acted with her that made feel like maybe she had given them a bad impression and they were trying to get over it.

At first she thought that maybe she was imagining things and letting her anxiety create something out of nothing but it became more obvious the more she hung out with them.

Mina was as playful as she was on the first day - she enjoyed making crude jokes whenever the opportunity arose and she ate so much that Bella was quite surprised she wasn't the size of a whale. On the first night they had stayed, Bella had offered to help her unpack and found that three out of her five bags were filled with snacks. But as playful as she was - she still tread lightly around Bella. Sometimes, she'd be halfway through a joke but would abruptly stop, as if she couldn't say. She'd done it numerous times and each time, Camilla would jump in and expertly change the subject; the first few times Bella wouldn't even notice when she did it.

Camilla was similar in that sense too - friendly but clearly not interested in making her a lifelong friend. She had expressed her feelings to Renee when she had called and her mother had suggested she ask Camilla to teach her Spanish. She didn't want to but she figured that maybe they'd grow closer if they did - Camilla of course agreed and they spent time learning it but still; there was something off with the way Camilla remained somewhat distant.

She had limited interactions with Imani who wasn't her biggest fan. She wasn't sure what she did to be on the beautiful girl's bad side but she was just glad that she wasn't _that_ hostile. Sure, she didn't really talk to Bella but Bella didn't have to suffer from glares or rude remarks (like she half expected). Imani was quiet and polite which was better than nothing.

Even Delilah, who she liked the most so far, seemed to have the same reservations. They had similar tastes in books and the younger girl was sweet in a way that made Bella wish they had met before Edward. Before any of that. Still, despite Delilah's fondness of her, she too felt distant. Sometimes, she looked at Bella with pity (which she was used to) but there was something more to it.

Their actions didn't feel genuine. Like they were holding back. Like they couldn't … trust her.

Bella, on the other hand, found that she surprisingly liked their company. The gaping hole in her chest was still there and burnt at the thought of anything relating the Cullens and it wasn't like how it was with Jake - who was her sun and sometimes made her forget.

She still remembered.

But with them there now, she felt comforted. She had things to do with them around, menial things but it kept her somewhat distracted nonetheless. She discussed books with Delilah, cooked for Mina and learnt Spanish with Camilla.

She wondered what it'd be like when they left - she wondered if that was what it'd be to break her. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by Mina's arrival.

"Hey B," Mina greeted her with a punch to the shoulder (something that took getting used to) and a nickname that Bella didn't particularly like. "What's for dinner?"

Like always, Mina was hungry.

"Pasta," Bella answered as she got up to raid her pantry. "Unless you're craving something else?"

"Nope, I'm good with whatever you make." She shot Bella a toothy smile before she planted herself onto the bench; her legs swung back and forth and Bella was reminded of an overgrown child.

"Where are your sisters?" She asked her as she picked out some more ingredients from the fridge and placed them on the bench.

"Checking out the town," Mina reminded her - they had told her before they left.

"Oh right," she pretended to remember them telling her and moved around the kitchen at a sluggish pace. "You didn't want to go?"

"The boys here aren't as cute as I thought they'd be," Mina replied with a sigh. "You don't know any cute guys, do you?"

"No, sorry," Bella replied dryly, laughing to herself as she thought about how the boys at her school would probably start foaming at the mouth if they ever saw Mina. Or Imani for that matter.

"I heard the guys from the Rez are hot," Mina went on, not noticing the way Bella froze at the mention of the reservation. "Know anyone from there?"

"Umm… he - we're not - he -" she stumbled on her words and Mia immediately caught on to the fact that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Okay so, no guys from the Rez, got it," Mina backtracked with a playful smile which Bella tried to return. The two remained quiet for a while longer but as usual, Mina couldn't stand the silence and spoke up.

"Hey B, do you ever wear different colours?" Mina leant back on her palms and surveyed Bella's plain clothes with a frown. "Ya know, you'd look great in green or blue!"

At her words, Bella looked back at Mina and just for a moment, her face morphed into Alice's and she felt sick. Her eyes watered and she blinked rapidly to get rid of the image that appeared before her eyes.

"B?" Mina jumped off the bench and moved towards her with a concerned look. She snapped her fingers in front of her face and Bella blinked rapidly, regaining consciousness. Out of surprise, the jar in her hand slipped through her fingers and she instinctively flinched, preparing herself for the inevitable smash.

But it didn't come.

She looked down and saw that, with a surprising about of grace, Mina had caught it before I dropped.

"That was… fast," Bella breathed out in surprise.

"I'm on the baseball team back home," she replied with a shrug and carefully placed the jar back on the bench.

Bella felt like that statement wasn't all that relevant to her observation but she didn't get to delve and deeper because at the moment, the front door opened.

"We're back," Camilla called out and only a few moments later, they were in the kitchen as well. "Hey B, hey Mina."

Bella smiled back at them with a small wave.

"Spy any hot boys while you were out?" Mina retook her seat on the bench and leant her back against the wall.

"Nope." Camilla sounded more disappointed than Bella would've guessed.

"Not even a red head? They're my favourite," Mina played with the ends of her hair.

"I think Delilah did but we didn't get a close look," Imani shrugged and shared a brief look with Camilla. Bella had the strangest feeling that they weren't _really_ talking about hot guys but she pushed that thought away. The sisters continued to make conversation but Bella turned around, deciding to let them talk amongst themselves.

She felt like no matter what, she couldn't be a part of their friendship - their sisterhood - their world.

xxx

After an intense game of rock, paper, scissors, it was Delilah who had been saddled with the (unfortunate) job of creating an outline of the woods. They hadn't realized how big the forest was and being unfamiliar with it wouldn't help them if they needed to find Victoria or James.

Imani was sympathetic enough to offer to help Delilah make a mental map so the two of them set off to explore the forest. It was larger than they had expected and the terrain wasn't

Just to be polite, Delilah had asked Bella if she wanted to come but she had made a face and made up some excuse. Knowing that it was probably not something she wanted to talk about, Delilah didn't probe and merely shrugged. She knew that Imani wouldn't have come if Bella had.

Imani wasn't cruel but she wasn't at all as nice as she could be when it come to Bella.

"You know… Bella's nice," Delilah finally spoke up and peeked at her sister out of the corner of her eye and saw that her expression didn't change. "You should be nicer to her."

"Why?" Imani snorted, barely concealing the way she rolled her eyes.

"Because she's going through a tough time and - " Delilah considered aloud - she couldn't help but feel pity for the girl.

"Listen Dee, we're here to do one thing and one thing only," she sighed as she ducked under a particularly low hanging branch. "Bella is nice, sure. But we're not here to play nurse and help heal her broken heart. Even if we did help her somehow, it's not like we could stay with her. And she can't come with us when we leave."

"I'm not saying that we do anything crazy," she maintained with a shrug. "I'm just saying that if you were a little warmer, it'd be better for her."

"She needs a serious wake up call - it's getting ridiculous. I thought they were exaggerating but she's… she's like a zombie."

"Bella's…" Delilah struggled to find the right word.

"She's a mess," Imani's reply was swift and mean but Delilah couldn't help but agree.

When Bella was with them, she was somewhat appeased (barely) and would resemble an actual human being but sometimes the girls would catch her just staring out the window. She barely ate and she barely slept. And when she did sleep, she'd suffer from terrible dreams that had her screaming throughout the night.

But before Delilah could add in any more requests for her to be kinder - Imani stopped and sighed.

"C'mon, let's split up," she suggested as she craned her neck to see how much more land they had to cover.

Delilah paused mid-step as well.

"I'll go down here, you go up there, towards the Reservation," Imani eyed the trees on her right with a sigh. "If we stay together, we won't get through here until tonight."

"I'll follow up to the river," she jerked her chin forward and Imani nodded before she spun on her heel and ran off to the opposite side. As she ran past, Delilah felt her hair fly up from the gust of wind that was left behind and she couldn't help but roll her eyes - Imani was the fastest and didn't let anyone forget it.

A few hours after they had separated, Delilah came across a huge paw print in the ground near the edge of the river. She stopped and instantly crouched down and inspected it closely - it was the largest paw print she'd ever seen. Much too big to be anything that could be found in the woods. It looked almost similar to one of the Children of the Moon but it was different.

She abandoned her original path and instead followed the prints. It went on for about a mile but then just stopped suddenly. She studied the last one closely and looked around but there was nothing.

Delilah was so intrigued by the disappearing prints, she didn't catch the scent as quickly as she should've. The moment she did, she felt her stomach tie into knots - the smell wasn't all that familiar to her.

She strained her ears and heard that there were two of them. They smelt like children of the moon but more … human and more earthy in a way.

It didn't have a threatening scent and she felt nothing that would indicate danger but it was a new smell. And she wasn't used to not knowing something - it was unsettling.

She knew that she should've run - she could've easily outrun them by now. She still had enough distance between them but her mind was telling her to stay put. Camilla had specially ordered them to try not to be seen while they were trekking; they didn't want to draw any attention.

But Camilla should've known better than to let Delilah be the one to explore the forests. Her curiosity nearly always won out and despite the small nagging voice in the back of her mind (that sounded suspiciously like Imani) telling her to move, she remained rooted in her spot.

She told herself she'd just get a gauge of them - see if they were dangerous - then she'd leave. They were only twenty feet behind her when they finally purposely made their presence known to her

"Hey!" A deep voice rumbled, finally calling out to her. "Are you alright?"

She turned around, fully prepared to offer a small apology but she found her words stuck in her throat as soon as she caught sight of the two men standing before her. They seemed to tower over her and she was by no means a short girl (although she _was_ the shortest of her sisters) and out of all the things she was expecting to see, two attractive shirtless men wasn't on her list.

"Oh… hello," her voice was unnaturally scratchy and she felt herself untuck her hair from behind her ear so she could hide her blush behind her hair. She suddenly felt very insecure and wished that Imani was still with her - out of all the sisters, she had the least amount (which is to say, none at all) of experience with the opposite sex. They moved closer towards her and she felt uneasy at their proximity.

"Are you lost?" The bigger one took a step towards her and in doing so, his scent wafted towards her, snapping out of her surprised daze. "How did you get this far?"

His scent was stronger than the leaner one and she immediately picked up that whatever they were - this one smelt like the stronger one.

"I haven't seen you around before, are from the Rez as well?" The taller one spoke again as he eyed her featured with curiosity.

"No, I'm visiting my cousin in Forks," she regained her composure and took a step backwards. "My sister and I wanted to check out the woods."

"It's not safe out here, there are lots of animals out here," the leaner one finally spoke up and as he shifted in his spot, she caught sight of a tribal tattoo on his arm. She recognized the symbol as Quileute and her confusion deepened.

"No need to be scared," the taller one mistook her bemusement as fear and tried to give her a reassuring look. She clamped her teeth down on her lower lip to stop herself from chortling - she wasn't scared. Not at all.

They should've been afraid of _her_.

While they smelt like children of the moon - they weren't. They smelt weaker. And that gave her confidence.

"I'm jumpy around strangers," she replied easily as she told herself that she only wanted to spend a few more moments with them. She was beyond curious as her mind whirred with a million different thoughts as she tried to figure out what they were. She wondered if they even know what they were.

"I'm Jacob Black and this is Embry Call," the bigger one grinned down at her. "Now we're not strangers."

"Okay," she dragged the word out and dragged her eyes down their frames. Their size was intimidating but she doubted that their skin was marble-like, like vampires - it looked supple and soft, like normal human flesh. It'd be easy for her to pierce their skin with one of her daggers.

By time she realised she was probably blatantly ogling them, it was too late; when she looked up they were both looking at her with similar smirks adorning their faces.

"Do you want us to walk you back?" Embry raised a questioning eyebrow and offered her a crooked smile.

"No," she rejected his offer immediately and her eyes flickered up to his mouth - again, her perplexity doubled when she saw that his teeth were normal with no fangs in sight. "I'm fine to get back on my own."

She could almost feel the heat radiating off their bodies and she felt her eyebrows pinch in confusion - she had never come across a creature that ran so hot. She tilted her head a little and listened out for perhaps an irregular heartbeat but the two heartbeats she heard from them only added to her growing confusion. They were completely normal.

"Embry can take you back to Forks - do you know which way your sister went?" Jacob offered his friend up without so much of glance in his direction.

"I can go back by myself," she repeated although this time, a bit more sterner. As much as she wanted to stay and try to learn more about their mysterious scent, she knew that it was better if she returned.

"It's easy to get lost," Jacob shook his head and tried to give her an easy going grin but it didn't fool her for a second. He wanted her to leave the woods and her discovery made her narrow her eyes - why did he want her gone?

"I have a great memory," she bit back. "I got here myself and I can get back by myself too."

"Seriously, it'd be better if you let Embry take you back," he pressed on, looking a little anxious now. "There have been… uh, bear sightings lately."

"You two don't seem too worried," she shot back quickly, looking pointedly at their clothes. Or lack thereof.

"We're big boys," Embry shot her an cocky smirk and she felt like he was teasing her somehow. She didn't have much of a temper in comparison to her sisters but still the action made her jaw clench. "I'll walk you back."

"Yeah, I'll find your sister," Jacob said it with a finality as if she had actually agreed and it annoyed her slightly. Perhaps it was in their nature to be pushy.

"No, I said it's fine," she shook her head again and stepped backwards but his hand shot out to take hold of her wrist when she did. The moment his hand touched her skin, she instinctively twisted out of his grip and pushed his chest back. Her sudden movement took him by surprise, as did her strength, and he stumbled backward, making him crash into Embry.

"Sorry," she quickly apologized and felt a wave of nervousness when she saw the bewildered expressions on their face. She mentally cursing at herself for moving so quickly.

"I… How did you do that?" Jacob's entire face was morphed into an expression of pure shock.

"Do what? I just pushed you," she let out an awkward laugh and tried not to let her nervousness show.

"Yes but… you shouldn't have been able to make actually stumble," he straightened up and rubbed his chest where she had hit. "And it actually kinda hurt."

"I'm stronger than I look," she mumbled back as she quickly diverted her eyes, trying to think of an excuse to leave.

"Yeah, so are we," Embry's countered coolly, his puzzled expression was gone now and replaced with suspicion. She saw him subtly sniff in her direction, and she instinctively stilled. She knew he wouldn't pick up a scent from her - she smelt like a human but still, she felt tense as Embry stared her down.

"What did you say your name was?" Jacob's voice was tinted with apprehension as he gave her a firm stare.

"It's Delilah Brant," she shared cautiously. She knew she probably should've given a fake name but she figured that she probably wouldn't run into these men again.

"And where are you from?" Embry questioned, arms folding themselves across his chest.

"I told you, I'm staying with my cousin in Forks," she ran a hand through her hair and shifted her weight uncomfortably.

"Yes, but where are you _from_?" His jaw was clenched now as he looked her up and down.

"Up north," she answered vaguely and glanced over his shoulder, realising that it was time she left. They were asking too many questions now.

"Delilah!" A new voice joined them and all three of them turned to see Imani standing there, with a wary expression. "What … are you doing?"

Relief flooded through Delilah when she saw her older sister standing there, arms crossed against chest and eyes flashing dangerously. Imani stomped over towards the shorter girl and inserted herself in between her and Jacob, like a barrier.

"Who are you?" She spoke to Jacob as if he wasn't several inches taller than her and she met his eyes with a harsh glare.

Both Jacob and Embry reacted to her sister the way most men did. Neither one was able to take their eyes off of her, staring at her as if she hadn't spoken at all. Embry was quicker to snap out of the trance first and his eyes snapped over to his friend who was still clearly dazzled. He nudged his friend and gazed back at Imani who was waiting for his response.

"Embry Call," he replied with a cough. "And this is Jacob Black. We were just wondering if Delilah needed some help getting back home."

"She doesn't," Imani snapped back. For the first time, Delilah was actual thankful for the fact that Imani was always so hostile around strangers.

"Are you her… cousin?" Jacob asked unsurely, clearly taken aback by their different looks.

"Sister," Imani corrected stiffly. Delilah knew she was also surprised by their scents. But Delilah also knew that Imani probably didn't care - their objective was clear and Imani never allowed anything to get in the way of getting a job done.

"You're staying in Forks, right?" Embry asked, his head angled to the side as he addressed Delilah again. "Who's your cousin? Maybe we know them? Or -"

"Are you two cops?" Imani cut off his questions with a scoff.

"No," Jacob answered, with a comical shake of his head, as if that idea alone was insane. His action made Delilah wonder how old he really was.

"Are there rules against coming out here?" She raised her eyebrow and mirrored Embry by folding her arms across her own chest.

"No," again, Jacob answered.

"Did Delilah ask for your help or something?"

"Well, no but -" Jacob looked flustered by Imani's rapid questions and blinked a few times in surprise.

"Are you rangers?" She didn't seem to care about the discomfort Jacob was obviously feeling and continued.

"I wouldn't say rangers but -"

"Well then, I'm not really sure what has you thinking that you can ask her all these questions and expect answers," Imani shot back. "We're leaving now. Don't follow us or we'll call the cops - _real_ cops."

Of course Imani was bluffing but they didn't know that. Embry and Jacob shared looks but didn't stop her when she pulled Delilah away from them and back towards the way they had come.

It wasn't until they had returned to the house that they felt it was safe to speak.

"You smelt them, right?" Delilah turned to her sister with a worried face. "Should we tell Camilla?"

"Dee, it doesn't matter," Imani's reply was more or less exactly what Delilah thought it'd be. "Unless they're children of the moon or they're vampires, it doesn't matter to us."

With that, she walked into the house while Delilah trailed behind her, still deep in her thoughts. The smell of food attracted them to the kitchen where Mina was sitting at the table, stuffing her face while Bella watched from the bench.

"How was your walk?" Mina called out to them in between a mouthful of pizza. "See anything interesting?"

"Not really," Imani gave Delilah a pointed look as she accepted the bottle of water that Mina offered her.

"Hey Bella," Delilah ignored Imani's look and focused on the girl at the bench.

"Yeah?"

"Um, I saw that you have a Quileute book about the legends and stuff," she could feel Imani's eyes burning into the side of her head but she kept going. "It looked pretty cool, can I borrow it?"

"Oh… sure," Bella looked a little taken aback but agreed anyways.

xxx

Two nights later, Bella stepped into their world for the first time.

It was nearing midnight but Mina was wide awake, watching Bella who was screaming murder in her sleep.

"I'm waking her up," Mina grumbled as she watched Bella writhe in her bed. "I'm surprised she hasn't woken up the entire fucking neighbourhood."

"Leave her," Camilla called from the bedroom door. She had been awoken by Bella's shouts as well and had assumed the worst.

Bella's screaming seemed to grow louder and Mina's sensitive ears rang at the frequency of her yells.

"How the fuck am I supposed to sleep when she's screaming the fucking house down?" Mina seethed, her fatigue was causing her temper to flare as she contemplated picking Bella up and tossing her out the window.

"She looks like she's crying, maybe we should wake her up," Delilah joined Camilla at the door and looked at Bella in concern. There were tear tracks on her pale skin and it was a sad sight to behold.

"Do you really want her to wake up and see us all here?" Imani had also decided to join them, surprisingly looking slightly worried as well. Camilla agreed with her sentiment - if they woke Bella up, she'd only be embarrassed.

"But she looks like she's in pain," Delilah frowned and stepped into the room so she could stand beside Mina.

"She always looks like she's in pain," Mina snorted and rolled her eyes - not as sympathetic as her younger sister.

"You're such an asshole sometimes," Delilah scoffed and pushed Mina's shoulder who retaliated with a shove of her own.

"I'm the asshole? Imani's the one who makes it clear what she thinks about Bella," Mina pointed an accusing finger at the tallest girl who hadn't moved from her spot at the doorway.

"Hey, at least I'm upfront about being an asshole," Imani defended herself with a glare. "I'm mean to her to her face _and_ behind her back."

"I'm only being a bitch because she's messing with my sleep. You know that I usually really _like_ B," Mina pouted angrily, feeling as if her sisters were ganging up on her. "None of you have to share a room with her and I've got the best hearing out of all of us!"

"Yeah _and_ you've got the biggest mouth," Imani sniggered and managed to duck just in time when Mina threw a pillow at her.

"And you're the slowest runner," Delilah added for good measure. It was usually Mina and Imani who would tease her so it was fun to be on the other side for once.

"I am _not_ the slowest runner," Mina scowled, feeling herself getting riled up. "Delilah you've only ever beaten me in a race once! And I'm stronger than the both of you put together."

In the midst of their bickering, none of the three girls had realised that Camilla had moved towards the bed where Bella was whimpering out her ex-boyfriends name.

"Bella, wake up," Camilla shook her by the shoulder roughly, putting an end to her sisters' petty arguments as they watched on in slight confusion. Camilla shook her cousin again until she stirred.

"Bella!"

"What… oh was I … I'm…" Bella woke up with a start and thrashed around for a moment before she calmed down when she saw who it was. She looked around her room and saw all four girls staring at her and like Imani had predicted, she flushed in embarrassment as soon as she realised why they were there.

"... Did I wake you?" She rubbed her eye slowly and pulled herself up so she was sitting against the headboard.

Camilla didn't answer but instead gripped her wrist tightly with a strange expression on her face.

"Camilla?" Bella's eyes were scrunched up in confusion. "... What's going on?"

The girl in question twisted her wrist lightly to show her the scar that marred her skin and gave her an intense look.

"Bella, who the hell bit you?"

* * *

 **a/n: next chapter we'll find out more about the girls and their origins. And ugh writing scenes w/Bella and the girls is so hard bc she's so broken but hopefully it'll get better and they'll get closer.**


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